The secretary for the New Mexico Corrections Department admitted that his staff made a huge mistake, and now some inmates are wondering how much longer they'll be locked up.

Inmates are able to cut their sentences in half by behaving and taking certain programs while in prison. However, at one New Mexico correctional facility, officials said some prison staff weren't following the rules.

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Secretary Gregg Marcantel said that's all changing.

Former Santa Fe attorney Carlos Fierro is serving time at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility after driving drunk and killing a man in Santa Fe. Prison officials said in order to get released earlier, Fierro has participated in several programs, as do many inmates.

But about 50 inmates, including Fierro, were not properly authorized to be in some of those programs. The administration said it was a sloppy mistake.

"We found, through some audits, that we had some program integrity issues that needed to be addressed," Marcantel said.

The corrections secretary said that as long as the inmates actually attended the programs, authorized or not, they will get credit, known as "good time." The more programs they complete, the more good time they get and the earlier they can be released.

"We're going to correct it and we're going to move forward," Marcantel said.

It's not clear when Fierro will be released, as the date fluctuates from April to August. Corrections officials said they are still reviewing his case, while his victims' daughters have their own message for him.

"We have altered our lives around the absence of our father," Dianna Tenorio said. "We hope that, one day, Mr. Fierro appreciates and is grateful for the second chance at life he has been given."

Department officials are taking a close look at what programs are best suited for which inmates, saying they weren't always put in the right places.

The majority of inmates end up back in our neighborhoods, so the secretary said he wants to make sure they leave rehabilitated for the public's safety.

Corrections officials said the problem was isolated to the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Los Lunas.